Swimming appliance



G. W. BECHTEL.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

APPLICAHON FILED NOV. 5,1-919,

. 1,342,61 9, Patented June 8, 1920.

2 SHEE'lS-SHEET I.

1,342,619; Patented June 8,1920.

'2 SHEEIS-SHEET 2.

m: an. to z George WBechlel UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. BECI-ITEL, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

Application filed November 5, 1919.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BEOHTEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in S w1mmingAppliances, of which the followmg 1s a specification.

The present invention relates to an 1mproved swimming appliance designedfor manual propulsion and capable of belng steered both laterally andvertically whereby, in addition to the usual lateral steering, theappliance may be made to dive or descend below the surface of the water,or ascend from below to the surface, at the will of the swimmer byproper manipulation of the required devices.

The primary object of the invention 1s the provision of a buoyantswimming ap: pliance for use primarily in the sport of swimming, butcapable, also, of being used as a self propelled life-saving apparatuswhen needed, and the invention consists essentially in certain novelcombinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the drawings,and pointed out in the appended specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physicalembodiment of my invention is illustrated, the parts being combined andarranged according to the best mode I have so far devised for thepractical application of the principles of the invention.

' Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swim-- ming appliance built inaccordance with the present invention and embodying the novel featuresthereof.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the appliance of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the operating gears for thepropeller wheel, located preferably at the bow of the appliance, thehousing and tubular casin for the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Serial No. 335,874.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the stern rudder for lateral steering ofthe appliance, showing also the foot operated tiller bar or tlller thatis pivoted 011 the adjustable post.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, detail, sectional view at line 66 of Fig. 2,showing a lever for controlling one of the vertical rudders or steeringblades.

In the preferred form of the invention as illustrated in the drawingsthe appliance is adapted for use and propulsion by a single person, andconsequently is sufficiently large to buoyantly support a swimmer, butis not so large as to be cumbersome and difficult to handle ormanipulate by the swimmer. The body of the appliance comprises akeelboard 1 extending fore and aft approximately the full length of theappliance, of

.suitable wood and of proper dimensions for the convenience of theswimmer, while above the keel-board is a comparatively shorter deckboard 2 secured to the keelboard amidships of the appliance and of widthto permit the swimmer to sit astride the deck or straddle the deck boardand keel-board when in swimming position. Beneath the keelboard are twokeel sections 3 and 4:, the latter secured near the bow of the applianceand the former nearer the stern, the forward ends or prows of these keelsections being sharpened as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thekeel sections are of proper weight, size and material to perform theusual functions and stabilize the appliance while afloat in the water,and are rigidly attached beneath the keel board as indicated in Figs. 1and 2.

A pair of transversely arranged guide braces 5 and 6 are provided on topof the deck board and are cut out or curved at 5'- 6 to conform to theshape of the legs when the swimmer sits astride of the deck boardbetween the forward fixed brace 5 and the aft horizontally swiveledbrace 6. The respective braces 5 and 6 are equipped with securing pinsor bolts 7 and 8 passed downwardly through them, (the bolt 8 havin awing-nut 9) and through the longitudinafily extending central slot 10 inthe deck board. Thus it will be seen that the braces or cross bars maybe adjusted by the bolt andslot connection to suit the convenience ofthe 25 pliance. The propeller shaft extends hugewith thedriving shaft orcrank shaft, and

peller wheel 11 and its shaft 12 by turning the two crank handles 13 and14, on the ends of the transversely extending gear shaft 15, locatedbeneath the keel board and keel sections in convenient position tobegrasped by the'two hands of the swimmer. The shaft 15 carries the largegear wheel or driver. 16 which meshes with the smaller pinion 17 on thecountershaft 18 parallel a bevel gear wheel 19 on this countersha'ftengaging with the bevel pinion 20 on the propeller shaft rotates theshaft to drive,

thepropeller wheel 11' and propel the aptu-dinally of the appliancebeneath the forward keel section 4 and is supported therefrom inbrackets 21, and a tubular casing" 22 lncloses the shaft, while thehousing or. gear case 23 conforming to the gear wheels within inclosesthe. gears. Oil may be placed in the casing and housing to lubricate andreduce friction, and these parts will of course bewater tight to preventegress of the oil I and ingress of water. The housing and casing are ofmetal, preferably, and side flanges 24: are provided by means of whichthey are attached to and supported from the forward keel section at asindicated in dotted lines in lior lateralor surface steering of the ap-vpliance,- a rudder 25 1s ut1l1Zed,-the material andv size and shapebeing such as best suited for the purpose and the rudder is attached byits stein-26 to the tiller 2?, which latter,

is atransversely arranged bar, pivoted at 28 on the rudder post 29 whichis passed through a selected hole 29, passing vertically through thekeel board and through the keel section- 3. -There' are a number oftheseopeningsQS', the series extending fore anrlafta-stern of the deckboard, and the tiller post may be located in any one of theseholestobest adapt the steering to the length of the legs of the swimmer,suit hiseonvenience. 7

At the ends-of the tiller are located stirrups-o'r loops 30', made ofbent metallic rods with their outer ends fitted in sockets in theextremities of the tiller and their inner ends 31 bent to passtransversely through'the horizontal slots 32 in the tiller, and each end31, which is'threaded, is provided with a clamp nut 33' so that thestirrups may be adjusted to moved toward or away from the tiller post orswivel point 28 of the tiller, and secured in adjusted position by theclamp nuts. it will readily be apparent that, with the toes and forefootstuck down through the stirrupsand the ball of the foot pressing againstthe front face of the tiller, the latter may be turned on its post tosteer the appliance in well known manner.

F or descending below or rising to the surface of the water, a forerudder 34 and an aft rudder 35 are employed, these rudders, in the formof a horizontally disposed blade or vane, being hinged at 36" on thekeel board 1 at its bow and stern, and connected by rods 37 and 38 ontopof the keel boa-rd, extending beneath the deck board and pivotallyattached to the hand levers 39 and 40 respectively. These levers arehinged or pivoted at ll on the keel board, and extend out beyond thesides of the keel board where they are in convenient position to beInanipulated by the hands of the swimmer,- and they may be held inadjusted position by engagement with the rack plates42, one for eachlever attached at the sides of the deck board. In Fig. 1 the movement ofthese two vertically moving rudders orplanes isindicated in dottedlines, and they may read-x ily be adjusted manually by'man-ipulation ofthe handle levers 39 and a0; and the con-' necting rods 37 and 38;'Outri'gging or bow the appliance may be propelled and steered by theswimmer, while in aswimmers posture, and 'thatthe appliance may besteered both laterally and vertically andmade to maneuver as desired,-by hand and foot,-whi'le being propelled by hand power.

What I claim is- 1. In a swimming appliance, thee com'-. bination withmanually operated propellingmeans, of a stern rudder forlateralste'ering including a fixed stem and transversely arranged tiller, meanson theti'l-le'r for engagement by the feet of the swimmer, and handoperatedbow and stern rudders for-f steering the appliance in verticalplanes 2. The combination with the keel board and keel sections, thedeck board andadjustable braces on the deckboard-between which theswimmer may sitastride, propelling means for the appliance, and steer--ing means for the appliance, as described;

3. The combination with the propelled appliance including its kee'lboard and keel section having a? series of openings there through, of a'transversely disposed tiller having its post passed through a selectedone of said openings, foot stirrups at the ends of said tiller, and arudder afiixed to the tiller as described.

at. The combination with the long keel board and the fore and aft keelsections attached at the underside thereof, of a shorter deck boardhaving a central longitudinal slot, a pair of transversely arrangedbraces having supporting bolts passed through said slot and adjustabletherein whereby the swimmer may straddle the deck board between saidbraces, and manually operable means for propelling and steering theappliance.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE W. BEOHTEL.

